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The Mind of God - What’s Not There II

The Mind of God has been one of my pet topics for decades. I am going to be brave and explore it a bit more, here in public. I’ve been collecting ideas and thoughts in a notebook. We’ll see where this goes. To find all of the posts on this topic, look for Mind of God in the Topic Cloud and click on it.

Does God care what we wear to church?

One of my favorite authors of recent years is Henri Nouwen. His writings have succeeded in making me think about things in new ways. Since the “mind of God” is one of my pet topics, imagine my surprise to read this in his book Reaching Out:

"We should all have the mind of Jesus Christ, but we do not all have to have the mind of a schoolteacher, a carpenter, a bank director, a congressman, or whatever socio-economic or political group... "

I think that the point here is that various conventions and techniques are not part of the matrix of absolutes that make God the supreme authority. I grew up with the firm teaching that one wore stiff, uncomfortable clothes to church and that this would make God happy. I’ve been in churches where those who did not dress "properly" were scorned. Perhaps you have too. But does God care what you wear? Probably not. You could make a case for being clean, and dressing well as a sign of respect, but various passages make it clear that our choice of (modest) clothing is not high on God’s list of priorities.

Some people think that all U.S. Christians are Republican. Others think that all moderate Christians are Democrats and that Republican Christians are fanatics. Is our political party one of the things which weighs upon the mind of God? I don’t think so.

Nouwen goes on to explain how even he was sucked into confusing technique with righteousness. He lived for several years in a community of students with special needs. They would celebrate Eucharist together (Communion), and were comfortable with each other. They developed a non-traditional, but loving and natural method of observing this remembrance of Christ. It all felt very spontaneous to them.

But, a few new students eventually joined them and wanted to change things a bit. Nouwen says they were surprised to discover that they felt like telling the newcomers "that’s not how we do it here."

He continues, "We had to face the fact that we had become clannish, substituting our minds for the mind of Jesus Christ."

Isn’t that powerful? I think it’s time to check what’s in my mind and make sure that it’s not focused on trivialities, techniques, or traditions which are not in God's mind.

Romans 14:17

Gospel Enigmas- Conversation with a Demon

I find that many of the things Jesus did are perplexing. They make me think, and sometimes I have no conclusions. I'll pose questions and only share my opinion as to meaning in the comments section after a day or so. Interact!

Jesus sends a demon away carved door panel, Pisa, Italy

Jesus had just begun his ministry. He had overcome the devil in his temptation. Next, he went to his hometown of Nazareth, where Jesus plainly declares that he is the Messiah. But people didn't believe him- he was just Joseph's son to them.

So Jesus went to Capernaum, and began to teach. The people there quickly recognized that he was someone with authority. A man there was possessed by demons, and the demons struck up a conversation with Jesus. They also recognized his authority. In fact, they called him the Holy One of God!

He receives a "stamp of authenticity" from a supernatural being. That would be somewhat like being recognized as a VIP by Donald Trump-- someone who was a VIP himself. But Jesus would have none of it! He told the demon to be quiet.

Think about it. A demon would want to do something that would further Satan's cause, not God's. So it must have thought that correctly identifying Jesus would be a bad thing. Did Jesus not want the people here to be brought abruptly face-to-face with his divinity? Weren't they ready for this yet? Just a few days before, Jesus was pointedly critical of the people in his hometown who refused to believe that he was the Messiah.

To complete the story, Jesus cast out the demon. The people were amazed and told other people about him.

What was the difference between these two groups of people that made Jesus desire different reactions to him?

Luke 4

Lyrics- Faith is the Victory

Every Sunday the lyrics from some great piece of Christian music will be featured. It's not that I want worship to revert to using all hymns, it's just that many modern Christian songs don't SAY anything. I really miss some deeper meaning. So I'm going to remind us of some great words.

Faith is the Victory
by John H. Yates, 1891

Encamped along the hills of light
Ye Christian soldiers, rise
And press the battle are the night
Shall veil the glowing skies
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled
Faith is the victory, we know
That over comes the world

Chorus:
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory
That overcomes the world

Chorus

His banner over us is love
Our sword the Word of God
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod
By faith they, like a whirlwind's breath
Swept on o'er ev'ry field
The faith by which they conquered Death
Is still our shining sheild

Chorus

On every hand the foe we find
Drawn up in dread array.
Let tents of ease be left behind,
And onward to the fray.
Salvation’s helmet on each head,
With truth all girt about,
The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread,
And echo with our shout.

Chorus

To him that overcomes the foe
White raiment shall be given
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in heaven
Then onward from the hills of light
Our hearts with love aflame
We'll vanquish all the hosts of night
In Jesus' conquering name

I will confess that this hymn ended up high on my list of favorites as a young person because we were allowed to sing it faster than most other hymns. The tune (as is true of quite a few hymns) is quite sing-song. But one can't deny that it's very sing-able, and the words are great. I found one video of it that's pretty good. Sandy Wyman & Jim Ayars sing Faith is the Victory

Name Game - Achan

The Stoning of Achan by Gustave Dore

We don’t know very much about Achan, but what we do know doesn’t end well. Achan lived at the time when the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, and he was part of Joshua’s army. We suddenly learn his name when he makes a really bad decision.

After the city of Jericho was defeated the Israelites were told not to take any spoils for themselves. Whenever God gave this command He was deadly serious about it being followed. And I do mean “deadly.”

There were plenty of valuable things to tempt the soldiers. Achan just couldn’t see letting it all be destroyed. So he collected about 5 pounds of silver (perhaps coins of some kind), and a wedge of gold that weighed over a pound. He also saw a beautiful robe that looked like it had been made in Babylon, and he decided he couldn’t live without it, too. He took these things, and buried them under the floor of his family’s tent.

Following the amazing conquest of Jericho, spies reported that it would be easy to take the small city of Ai. But the men of Ai routed Israel handily. Joshua knew something was wrong! He and the other leaders spent a day in prayer, and the Lord told them that someone had taken forbidden things.

By a dramatic and public separation of tribes, clans, and families, Achan’s guilt was revealed. When confronted, he confessed what he had done. It turned out that he couldn’t live with that beautiful robe, either.

In a display of justice that we, in the age of grace, can’t really comprehend, Achan, his entire family, and all his animals were taken to a nearby valley and stoned to death. His tents, possessions, and the things he had stolen were placed with the bodies and were burned. When it was all over, rocks were piled on the spot as a memorial. The place was named the valley of Achor, which sounds similar to Achan, and means “trouble.” (Hebrews liked word play.)

That is almost the last we hear of Achan. However, when the genealogies of the tribes are given in I Chronicles, it’s very interesting to note that Achan’s name has now permanently morphed to Achor– trouble.

Apart from inspiring gratitude that we are now offered forgiveness through Christ, we might take another lesson from Achan. Are we doing things that will cause our descendants to look back and say, “Oh yes, great grand-daddy (mother) was real trouble,” or will they say, “Our family serves God because of that person’s life?”

Joshua 7
I Chronicles 2:7

Answers to Quiz Yourself

These are the answers to yesterday’s Bible trivia quiz. Hope you had fun!

1. Jonathan was David’s best friend. I Samuel 18

2. Paul was a tentmaker. Acts 18:3

3. Jacob met Rachel at Laban’s well. Genesis 29

4. Jubal is called the father of all who play the harp and flute. (Hence, the word “jubilee.” )Genesis 4

5. Ephesus is noted for hard work and perseverance. Revelation 2

6. Esther is also called Hadassah. Ester 2:7 (her cousin was Mordecai)

7. Jonah and Nahum both prophesied about Ninevah.

8. James wrote to the twelve scattered tribes of Israel. James 1:1

9. Jacob was Joseph’s father. Genesis 30

10. Lydia sold purple cloth. Acts 16:14

Friday Fun- Quiz Yourself

Every Friday there will be a game of some kind to play. The answers will be posted on Saturday morning. Here’s another Bible trivia quiz.

1. Who was Prince David’s best friend?

2. What was Paul’s method of earning money (not his missionary efforts)?

3. Where did Jacob meet Rachel?

4. What is the name of the first musician mentioned in the Bible?

5. Which church, mentioned in Revelation, is noted for hard work and perseverance?

6. By what name do we usually remember Hadassah? (Hint- she was raised by her cousin.)

7. Name two prophets who focused on Ninevah.

8. Most of the books in the New Testament were letters written to a specific church. But one book is written to the twelve scattered tribes. Which one?

9. Who was Joseph’s father?

10. Who is noted as being a seller of expensive purple textiles?